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United States Patent |
6,065,681
|
Trueggelmann
|
May 23, 2000
|
Method of producing data carriers
Abstract
A method of producing a data carrier having a carrier card, and a minichip
card which can be removed from the carrier card and has an integrated
circuit therein, comprising the steps of: forming one of the minichip card
and the carrier card with a first material having a first softening
temperature; forming the other of the minichip card and the carrier card
with a second material having a second softening temperature different
from the first softening temperature, in the presence of the card formed
in the first step in such a way that the minichip card is held in a
receiving window of the carrier card by the latter with a form fit, while
avoiding material bonding with the carrier card.
Inventors:
|
Trueggelmann; Uwe (Paderborn, DE)
|
Assignee:
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Orga Kartensysteme GmbH (Paderborn, DE)
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Appl. No.:
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015522 |
Filed:
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January 29, 1998 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
| Jan 29, 1997[DE] | 197 03 122 |
Current U.S. Class: |
235/487; 235/492 |
Intern'l Class: |
G06K 019/00 |
Field of Search: |
235/380,375,487,492,494
425/542,546,572
|
References Cited
U.S. Patent Documents
5013900 | May., 1991 | Hoppe | 235/492.
|
5681356 | Oct., 1997 | Barak et al. | 29/25.
|
Foreign Patent Documents |
0 328 124 | Aug., 1989 | EP.
| |
0 495 216 | Jul., 1992 | EP.
| |
0 521 778 | Jan., 1993 | EP.
| |
0 702 325 | Mar., 1996 | EP.
| |
0 742 533 | Nov., 1996 | EP.
| |
41 32 720 | Apr., 1993 | DE.
| |
295 04 946 | Sep., 1995 | DE.
| |
295 03 249 | Dec., 1995 | DE.
| |
44 19 973 | Dec., 1995 | DE.
| |
96 36009 | Nov., 1996 | WO.
| |
97 31334 | Aug., 1997 | WO.
| |
Primary Examiner: Frech; Karl D.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Foley & Lardner
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A method of producing a data carrier having a carrier card, and a
minichip card which can be removed from the carrier card and has an
integrated circuit therein, comprising the steps of:
a first step of forming one of the minichip card around a separate chip
module and the carrier card with a first material having a first softening
temperature; and
a second step of forming the other of the minichip card and the carrier
card, with a second material having a second softening temperature
different from said first softening temperature, in the presence of the
card formed in the first step in such a way that the minichip card is held
in a receiving window of the carrier card by the latter with a form fit,
while avoiding material bonding with the carrier card.
2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the card with the material
having a higher softening temperature is made in said first forming step.
3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first and second materials
are different polymer compounds.
4. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein said second forming step
comprises the step of forming the card with a lower softening temperature
at a temperature below the softening temperature of said first formed
card.
5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein, in said first forming step,
the minichip card is formed from a first polymer compound with a first
softening temperature and, in said second forming step, the carrier card
is produced from a second polymer compound, having a second softening
temperature which is lower than the first softening temperature, in one
and the same mold.
6. The method as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that the minichip
card and the carrier card are in each case produced in one and the same
injection mold, so that mutually oriented contours of the minichip card
and the carrier card bear directly against one another.
7. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the carrier card and the
minichip card are produced from a thermoplastic material.
8. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the minichip card is produced
from a polypropylene material and the carrier card is produced from an ABS
polymer material.
9. The data carrier resulting from the method as claimed in claim 6.
10. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the outer contours of the
minichip card are formed such that they complement the inner contours of
the carrier card.
11. The method as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the minichip
card and the carrier card are in each case produced as a one-piece molded
part in one and the same injection mold, a first molded part being
produced in said first forming step and a second molded part being
produced in said second forming step at a temperature below the softening
temperature of the first molded part, so that the mutually oriented
contours of the molded parts bear directly against one another.
12. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the outer contours of the
minichip card are formed such that they complement the inner contours of
the carrier card.
13. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the carrier card and the
minichip card are produced from a thermoplastic material.
14. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the minichip card is produced
from a polypropylene material and the carrier card is produced from an ABS
polymer material.
15. The data carrier resulting from the method as claimed in claim 2.
16. The method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the minichip
card and the carrier card are in each case produced as a one-piece molded
part in one and the same injection mold, with a first molded part being
produced in said first forming step and a second molded part being
produced in said second forming step at a temperature below the softening
temperature of the first molded part, so that the mutually oriented
contours of the molded parts bear directly against one another.
17. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the outer contours of the
minichip card are formed such that they complement the inner contours of
the carrier card.
18. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the carrier card and the
minichip card are produced from a thermoplastic material.
19. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the minichip card is produced
from a polypropylene material and the carrier card is produced from an ABS
polymer material.
20. The data carrier resulting from the method as claimed in claim 19.
21. The data carrier resulting from the method as claimed in claim 1.
22. A method of producing a data carrier having a carrier card, and a
minichip card which can be removed from the carrier card and has an
integrated circuit therein, comprising the steps of:
a first step of forming one of the minichip card and the carrier card with
a first material having a first softening temperature;
a second step of forming the other of the minichip card and the carrier
card, with a second material having a second softening temperature
different from said first softening temperature, in the presence of the
card formed in the first step in such a way that the minichip card is held
in a receiving window of the carrier card by the latter with a form fit,
while avoiding material bonding with the carrier card;
wherein, in said first forming step, the minichip card is formed from a
first polymer compound with a first softening temperature and, in said
second forming step, the carrier card is produced from a second polymer
compound, having a second softening temperature which is lower than the
first softening temperature, in one and the same mold; and
wherein the minichip card and the carrier card are in each case produced in
one and the same injection mold, so that mutually oriented contours of the
minichip card and the carrier card bear directly against one another.
23. A method of producing a data carrier having a carrier card, and a
minichip card which can be removed from the carrier card and has an
integrated circuit therein, comprising the steps of:
a first step of forming one of the minichip card and the carrier card with
a first material having a first softening temperature; and
a second step of forming the other of the minichip card and the carrier
card, with a second material having a second softening temperature
different from said first softening temperature, in the presence of the
card formed in the first step in such a way that the minichip card is held
in a receiving window of the carrier card by the latter with a form fit,
while avoiding material bonding with the carrier card;
wherein the minichip card and the carrier card are in each case produced as
a one-piece molded part in one and the same injection mold, with a first
molded part being produced in said first forming step and a second molded
part being produced in said second forming step at a temperature below the
softening temperature of the first molded part, so that the mutually
oriented contours of the molded parts bear directly against one another.
24. A method of producing a data carrier having a carrier card, and a
minichip card which can be removed from the carrier card and has an
integrated circuit therein, comprising the steps of:
a first step of forming one of the minichip card and the carrier card with
a first material having a first softening temperature;
a second step of forming the other of the minichip card and the carrier
card, with a second material having a second softening temperature
different from said first softening temperature, in the presence of the
card formed in the first step in such a way that the minichip card is held
in a receiving window of the carrier card by the latter with a form fit,
while avoiding material bonding with the carrier card;
wherein the card with the material having a higher softening temperature is
made in said first forming step; and
wherein the minichip card and the carrier card are in each case produced as
a one-piece molded part in one and the same injection mold, a first molded
part being produced in said first forming step and a second molded part
being produced in said second forming step at a temperature below the
softening temperature of the first molded part, so that the mutually
oriented contours of the molded parts bear directly against one another.
25. A method of producing a data carrier having a carrier card, and a
minichip card which can be removed from the carrier card and has an
integrated circuit therein, comprising the steps of:
a first step of forming one of the minichip card around a separate chip
module and the carrier card with a first material having a first softening
temperature; and
a second step of forming the other of the minichip card and the carrier
card, with a second material having a second softening temperature
different from said first softening temperature, in the presence of the
card formed in the first step in such a way that the minichip card is held
in a receiving window of the carrier card by the latter with a form fit,
while avoiding material bonding with the carrier card;
wherein the card with the material having a higher softening temperature is
made in said first forming step; and
wherein the first and second materials are different polymer compounds.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Data carriers comprising a carrier card and a minichip card, which is
embedded in the latter and has an integrated circuit, are used, for
example, as phone cards, health insurance cards, as identification and
access authorization cards for mobile radio systems, such as for example
GSM telephones, or as credit or cash cards. In GSM telephones, for
example, two types of so-called GSM cards can be used. For a first mobile
phone system, use is made of a card the size of a credit card (full-size
card), the dimensions of which (85.times.54 mm) correspond to the
dimensions of the carrier card. Customary for a second type of mobile
phone system are smaller cards (plug-in modules) which, when comprised as
minichip cards with the usual dimensions of 25.times.15 mm, can be
inserted into the mobile phones. The integrated circuits (chips) securely
mounted on both types of cards typically have the same dimensions and
electronic functions. In order that both mobile phone systems can be used
with the aid of a single card, it is known to connect the minichip card
detachably to a recess in the carrier card provided for that purpose. For
example, the minichip card may be held by means of a form fit in a
pocket-like receptacle of a carrier card. See DE 44 19 973 A1. DE 295 04
946 U1 discloses a carrier card which has in the region of a recess
provided for the minichip card a layer of adhesive tape, so that, on the
one hand, the minichip card is adhesively bonded to the carrier card for
use in one of the mobile phone systems. On the other hand, by removing the
minichip card from the carrier card, the minichip card can be used in the
other mobile phone system. To produce the above-mentioned data carriers,
it is usual to produce the carrier card on the one hand in two separate
method steps, by two injection-molding steps, for example, and thereafter
to connect them to each other by a form fit or by adhesion.
EP 0 195 216 B1 discloses a data carrier in which there are punched
clearances and a straight notch, with the minichip card being easy to
remove from the carrier card by swinging it about a hinge-like notch.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a low-cost method of
producing data carriers which is quick and reliable and ensures that the
minichip card can be held securely in the card carrier, but can be easily
removed from or inserted into the carrier card.
The special advantage of the invention is, in particular, that a carrier
card with a minichip card held in it with a form fit is produced in one
mold. The data carrier thus formed does not need to be subsequently
reworked in its form. One of the features for the invention is the
production of the minichip card and the carrier card from different
materials. The first component, for example but not by way of limitation
the minichip card, is produced at a first, higher temperature and the
second component, for example the carrier card, is produced subsequently,
at a lower temperature, in one and the same mold. The fact that the first
component is already in its final form when the second component is
produced means that the second component can be produced in such a way
that it is adapted to the form of the first component. As a result, the
first component is advantageously used as a molding element in the mold,
so that, for example, undercuts of the second component are made possible
in a simple way.
According to a refinement of the invention, the minichip card and the
carrier card are produced in one and the same injection mold from
different polymer materials, each with a different softening temperature.
In a first sub-step, the minichip card, for example, is formed as a first
molded part from a first polymer material of a higher softening
temperature. In a second sub-step, a second polymer material of a lower
softening temperature is introduced into the mold, so that the carrier
card is formed as a second molded part by "encapsulation" of the minichip
card. Since the working temperature of the second molded part is lower
than the softening temperature of the first molded part, the two molded
parts lie one against the other with essentially no gaps, so that, if the
mutually oriented contours of the molded parts are shaped appropriately,
the minichip card embedded in the recess of the carrier card is held
captive in the carrier card. The upper side and undersurface of the
minichip card are flush with the corresponding upper side and undersurface
of the carrier card, so that troublefree subsequent treatment of the
surface of the data carrier is made possible.
Exemplary embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail below
with reference to the drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a plan view of a data carrier showing a carrier card with a
minichip card embedded in the carrier card.
FIG. 2 is a longitudinal section view through the data carrier along the
line II--II in FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a cross section view through the data carrier along the line
III--III in FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is a cross section view through a data carrier according to a second
exemplary embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a cross section through a data carrier according to a third
exemplary embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
FIG. 1 shows a plan view of a data carrier 1, which in this example
comprises a carrier card 2 the size of a credit card and a minichip card 3
embedded in the carrier card 2. The form and size of the carrier card 2
and of the minichip card 3 may be conveniently standardized.
The minichip card 3 has on its upper side 4 a plurality of contact areas 5,
which are connected via electrical connecting lines (not shown) to an
integrated circuit (chip) arranged inside the minichip card 3.
As can be seen from FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the minichip card 3 is held by
opposite, longitudinal sides 6 (shown in FIG. 3) and narrow sides 7 (shown
in FIG. 2) with a form fit in a recess or in a receiving window of the
carrier card 2. In this case, the narrow sides 7 are respectively formed
such that they diverge from each other from the upper surface 4 to the
undersurface 8, while the longitudinal sides 6 are formed such that they
converge in the direction of the undersurface 8. The narrow sides 9 and
longitudinal sides 10 of the carrier card 2, which surround the minichip
card 3, are formed such that they correspond to the narrow sides 7 and the
longitudinal sides 6 to provide a fit.
As FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 clearly show, these narrow and longitudinal sides 6,
7, 9, 10 yield in each case a trapezoidal design in cross section for the
minicard, an inverse orientation existing between the narrow sides 7, 9
and the longitudinal sides 6, 10. This ensures reliable fixing of the
minichip card 3 in the carrier card 2, but it being possible by bending or
tilting the carrier card 2 with respect to the minichip card 3 for the
latter to be pressed out from or re-inserted into the receiving window.
Consequently, use of a first mobile phone system with the carrier card 2
and the embedded minichip card 3, on the one hand, and of a second mobile
phone system just using the minichip card 3, on the other hand, in any
desired sequence and independently of each other is ensured. Even when
only using the mobile phone system which can be used just with the
minichip card 3, after use of the mobile phone the minichip card 3 can be
re-inserted into the receiving window of the carrier card 2 to store it.
The data carrier 1 described above is preferably produced by injection
molding in a single injection-molding operation. In this example, the
molded parts comprising the carrier card 2 and the minichip card 3 are
produced one immediately after the other within one injection molding
operation of a two-component injection-molding machine. Optionally, the
carrier card 2 or the minichip card 3 may be produced first.
If, for example, the minichip card 3 is to be molded in a first sub-step,
desired electronic components are placed into an injection mold and are
encapsulated in a first polymer compound. After curing of the first
polymer compound, the elements of the mold forming the longitudinal sides
6 and the narrow sides 7 are moved out in the transverse direction to the
extent that their arrangement then establishes the outer peripheral
dimensions of the carrier card 2.
In a second sub-step, a second polymer compound is then injected into the
then-enlarged mold, this second polymer compound having a lower softening
temperature than the first polymer compound. The molding of the carrier
card 2 takes place at a lower temperature than the softening temperature
of the first polymer compound of the minichip card 3, so that the carrier
card 2 is molded without an intimate bond occurring between the carrier
card 2 and the minichip card 3. The narrow sides 9 and the longitudinal
sides 10 form, these sides bearing substantially with their full surface
area against the narrow sides 7 and the longitudinal sides 6,
respectively, of the minichip card 3. After curing of the second polymer
compound, the mold may be opened, and the clamped together molded parts,
namely the carrier card 2 and the minichip card 3, can then be removed.
They can then together undergo further treatments, in particular a surface
treatment.
The carrier card 2 and the minichip card 3 are formed from different
polymer materials, in particular of a thermoplastic polymer, which differ
in that they have different softening temperatures. The minichip card 3 is
preferably produced from polypropylene and the carrier card 2 is
preferably produced from ABS (acryl-butadiene styrene). For a
polypropylene molding compound, the processing temperatures for injection
molding lie in the range from 250.degree. to 270.degree.. The processing
temperatures of ABS lie in the range from 180.degree. to 280.degree.. By
suitable choice of the polypropylene and the ABS material, it is
consequently possible to find two polymer compounds of which the
processing and softening temperatures are sufficiently far apart from each
other for them to be processed according to the invention.
By way of example, the minichip card could be formed from a polymer
compound such as PBT (polybutylentherephthalat) with the carrier card made
from POM (polyoxymethylen). The injection temperature of PBT may be in the
range of 240.degree. C. to 270.degree. C., while the injection temperature
for POM may be in the range of 180.degree. C. to 220.degree. C.
As a second example, the minichip card could be formed from a polymer
compound such as PA (polyamid), with the carrier card made from POM
(polyoxymethylen). The injection temperature of PA may be in the range of
230.degree. C. to 320.degree. C. and the injection temperature of the POM
may be in the range of 180.degree. C. to 220.degree. C.
Note that the pressure value used during the injection molding process
depends on the configuration of the molding machine and the mold itself,
as is well known in the art.
Typical curing times between steps are on the order of 1 to 3 seconds.
Alternatively, the mold may be designed such that the longitudinal and
narrow sides of the carrier card 2 and minichip card 3 have different
contours. For example, a carrier card 11 and a minichip card 12 may
respectively have cross-sectionally arcuate longitudinal sides 13 and 14
and narrow sides. As FIG. 4 shows, the longitudinal sides 14 of the
minichip card 12 are curved outward, bearing with a form fit against the
inwardly curved longitudinal sides 13 of the carrier card 11. The degree
of curvature establishes the flexural loading when the minichip card 12 is
pressed out from or inserted into the carrier card 11.
According to a further exemplary embodiment as shown in FIG. 5, at least
two sides, in particular longitudinal sides 15, of a minichip card 16 may
be of a wedge-shaped design. These bear with their full surface area
against corresponding longitudinal sides 17 of a carrier card 18, which
are respectively designed as tapering grooves. The angle of the wedge or
the groove establishes the flexural forces required for pressing out or
inserting the minichip card 16. Alternatively, any other contours of the
receiving window or the minichip card, which may depend on the respective
application, can be produced.
From the above it can be seen that a simplified and speeded-up method of
production for data carriers that comprise a carrier card and an embedded
minichip card has been disclosed. The method is quick, reliable and
ensures a carrier card-minichip card fit that facilitates removal and
reinsertion.
It should be noted that although the present example showed the minichip
card being formed with the higher softening temperature material in the
first step, the invention is not limited to this sequence. The carrier
card could be molded first with the higher softening temperature material
having a molded recess, and then the minichip card could be molded in the
recess with the second material having the lower softening temperature.
The foregoing description of a preferred embodiment of the invention has
been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not
intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form
disclosed, and modifications and variations are possible in light of the
above teachings or may be acquired from practice of the invention. The
embodiment was chosen and described in order to explain the principles of
the invention and its practical application to enable one skilled in the
art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various
modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is
intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended
hereto, and their equivalents.
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